Skip to content
RollCall logo

Video

This Simple Wooden Platform Has a Poignant History on Capitol Hill

By D.A. Banks
Posted November 17, 2017 at 5:19pm

By D.A. Banks

[jwp-video n=”1″]

The catafalque, draped in black cloth, was hastily built in 1865 to support President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin as it lay in state in the Rotunda. Since then, the catafalque has been used to honor presidents, generals, the remains of unknown soldiers and even civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

Recent Stories

The Supreme Court as seen in Washington in June.

Supreme Court again rejects Missouri effort to use GOP-friendly map

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., rails agains furries in this week’s Hits and Misses.

2 Fast 2 Furry — Congressional Hits and Misses

A worker sweeps part of the Mountains and Clouds sculpture on Friday ahead of its reinstallation.

Calder clouds are rising on Capitol Hill

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrives at Laem Chabang Port on Sept. 2, 2026, at Racha, Thailand. (Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Democrats call for hearings on suicide attempts on USS Lincoln

Sen. Mark Kelly attends a news conference in the Capitol on June 17.

Tech taxes would drive Kelly’s labor-focused ‘AI Horizon Fund’

A woman casts her ballot on the second day of early voting ahead of the midterm elections at a polling place in Wheaton, Ill., on Sept. 25, 2026. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court revives expansion of federal voter database